


Reflection and Resolution

by experimentallyjs589 (jacksparrow589)



Series: Time and Tide [5]
Category: Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Female Friendship, Gen, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:35:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22410400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacksparrow589/pseuds/experimentallyjs589
Summary: "Oh come on, Anne! He's just been waiting for you! Take a risk! Show up and wreck his date and make out in the rain after you finally acknowledge your feelings for one another!""I don't know where he is, Diana! And it's not raining!" Anne told her. "And anyway, we don't live in a rom-com; nobody would actually drop their date for someone who showed up to interrupt it!"Diana rolled her eyes. "Gilbert Blythe would absolutely drop anyone in a hot second if you told him how you feel about him."Anne sighed. "I don't even know for sure how I feel about him!"Diana settled back down on the couch. "You like him. You always want to be around him. You admire him. And you're a brokenhearted wreck because he's dating someone else, but you're willing to let him do it because you think it'll make him happy. You love him, Anne."---------On Gilbert's birthday, Anne starts to confront her feelings for him... just as he's started to out with Winifred. Will a night of reflection change anything?Rated T because drunk Diana gets a little foul-mouthed.
Relationships: Diana Barry & Anne Shirley, Gilbert Blythe & Anne Shirley, Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley, Gilbert Blythe/Winifred Rose
Series: Time and Tide [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1598953
Comments: 19
Kudos: 89





	Reflection and Resolution

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place 6 months before the events in the present of Tempest and Tranquility.

Anne closed the apartment door behind her and sighed.

"...Anne? Is everything... okay?" Diana asked. "Did something happen? I thought you were just dropping off Gilbert's birthday gift."

"Yeah." Anne kicked off her shoes and sat down heavily on the couch.

Diana sat next to her. "You seemed so excited when you left, and I thought maybe—oh no." She grabbed a box of tissues from the coffee table as tears started falling down Anne's cheeks. "Do you want me to call him?"

"No!" Anne cried. "No, definitely don't do that."

Diana put her phone face down on the coffee table. "He's... seeing someone, isn't he?"

Anne started bawling in earnest. Diana pulled Anne's head down to rest against her shoulder, wrapping one arm around Anne's shoulders and stroking Anne's hair with the other.

"This is so stupid!" Anne spat between sobs after a few minutes. "He's been there for—for years! And something could have happened! Something _should_ have happened! But he always seemed like he wasn't sure, and I think it was just that I pushed him away, but it's not like I'm any great prize! He's gonna change the world!"

"So are you," Diana told her. "Anne, nobody gets why you think you don't deserve him. I don't even really think you do, if I'm honest. I think you're just scared that you'll lose a good thing if it ends. But real talk? I've never seen two people who are a better fit. You're both passionate and driven and supportive. You know where you're going and how you'll get there. You have the same values, the same dreams... And, let's face it, you're both pretty hot."

Anne choked out a laugh. "Di... You should see this woman." She grabbed her phone. "He introduced her as Winnie... Tall. Blonde. Blue eyed. British accent."

Diana's eyes went wide. "Shit, he's dating Winifred Rose?! That motherf... ugh! He has no right!"

Anne blinked and sat up.

"She came in to some of my classes as a 'this could be you' guest speaker. She's an up-and-coming pharmaceutical lawyer. And she's good. God..." Diana rubbed her hands across her face. "She's not you, though, Anne." She stood and paced. "Ugh. I need a drink. We're gonna do this right. White wine, Chinese delivery, sappy rom-com... Ah, screw it, I'm ordering ice cream delivery because we can."

She tapped her phone viciously. "And now, we wait."

* * *

"I'm gonna text him," Diana announced a couple hours and a bottle of wine later. "It may be his birthday, but you were so sweet, and you got such an amazing gift... I bet Winnie wouldn't know what to get him! He deserves to have his birthday wrecked."

Anne grabbed Diana's phone. "Di, don't! What d'you think he's gonna do if he gets that text?!"

"Come to his goddamn senses!" Diana retorted, going for Anne's phone, which Anne also grabbed. "Oh come on, Anne! He's just been waiting for you! Take a risk! Show up and wreck his date and make out in the rain after you finally acknowledge your feelings for one another!"

"I don't know where he is, Diana! And it's not raining!" Anne told her. "And anyway, we don't live in a rom-com; nobody would actually drop their date for someone who showed up to interrupt it!"

Diana rolled her eyes. "Gilbert Blythe would _absolutely_ drop _anyone_ in a hot second if you told him how you feel about him."

Anne sighed. "I don't even know for sure how I feel about him!"

_This song and dance again…_ Diana settled back down on the couch. "You like him. You always want to be around him. You admire him. And you're a brokenhearted wreck because he's dating someone else, but you're willing to let him do it because you think it'll make him happy. You love him, Anne. You just don't want to admit it because it would break your heart further... shit. Sorry." Diana rubbed Anne's back as she doubled over sobbing again. "Look, Anne, I want you to be happy. I'll support you whatever your choice is, but I really think you need to talk to him."

"Diana, I _can't_. Not because I don't _want_ to, but because... it's not right. I'm not going to break someone up." Anne sniffled. "If... if it doesn't work out, I'll say something."

Diana frowned. "If that's what you think is best, I'll respect that. But, as your friend, I don't want to see you hurting. Just... remember that, okay?" She sat down to flip through the channels on the TV. "Come on; it's your pick. What are you feeling?"

Anne settled back into the couch. "Find me a good film noir?"

"Can do!" Diana flipped through her impressive collection of them, finally settling on _Phantom Lady_.

Anne grabbed her phone and quickly sent Gilbert a message wishing him a happy birthday and asking him to tell her about the date later. She was determined to be a good friend. She'd get over him; it was just the shock of having only now admitted to herself how deep her feelings really went.

_It'll be okay,_ she told herself. _It'll all be fine in the end._

* * *

* * *

Gilbert closed the door behind Winnie and sighed contentedly. The date had been wonderful. Winnie had insisted on treating him, but she hadn't been too splashy about it. The French restaurant they'd dined at hadn't required a jacket or tie; just a collared shirt. "Smart casual", Winnie had said.

She'd certainly looked smart. She'd known it, too, and why shouldn't she? Gilbert had never understood wanting a partner to be just a bit less than he was. Sure, feeling like he was able to bring something to the table was nice, but it didn't have to be something she necessarily lacked.

Still ruminating, Gilbert grabbed a glad of water and sat down at his little kitchen table.

Anne's gift sat right there, where he'd left it.

She couldn't have been saving up all summer, so spending as much as she had (and he knew exactly how much, given that he'd groused about it as they'd bought books together) had been a relatively last-minute decision. He'd wanted to tell her to take it back; that she shouldn't be spending this much money on him, but she would have argued. They were close, and all those times he'd bought her coffee or something because he wanted to stop on the way home from school... she'd only argue that it was justified, and he'd never be able to convince her otherwise.

Her timing could have been better. He'd wanted to introduce her to Winifred. After all, he'd already told her all about the lionhearted neighbor girl who would never stop making waves. Winnie had laughed and said that a less confident woman might worry that competition was being kept under her own nose.

Gilbert had laughed a bit painfully. "Nah, we almost had something, but it didn't work out. Turns out we're better at being friends."

Winnie had nodded thoughtfully. "Would that we could all be so sanguine with our exes. And so honest about them with our current partners. I usually find that to be a sign of a relationship that I want to be in."

All Gilbert had been able to do in that moment was respond with a kiss.

Should he have done that? He'd meant what he'd said in the moment. He wanted to be over Anne. Day by day, it seemed to be getting better, and Winnie was the sort of person Gilbert felt drawn to. She wasn't Anne, and that was a good thing.

Wasn't it?

Gilbert shook his head. It was. It had to be.

He had two choices: tell Winnie (truthfully) "it's not you; it's me", or resolve even more to get over Anne.

Twelve hours ago, he would unequivocally have chosen the second option. But now? When she'd bought him this expensive gift practically off the cuff? She'd almost seemed like she'd wanted to say more before Winnie had shown up.

Maybe he should text her and see if she'd clear it up. He grabbed his phone and opened it to his messages with Anne.

_Hey, sorry for springing Winnie on you earlier_

No, he shouldn't apologize for having a girlfriend.

_Thanks again for the books! Anything else you wanted to_

No. Way too direct, even if that was how he usually operated.

_Hey, I wanted to ask you_

What? He wanted to ask what? So much, and none of it easy enough to answer over text.

He fumbled his phone when a text from Anne popped up. "Shit!"

_Hey, just wanted to wish you a happy birthday again. I hope you had a good date. You'll have to tell me about it later! :)_

He started typing out several responses again.

_Thanks, but what did you mean_

_The only way it would have been better is_

_Lol, well, given that you made me drop my phone on my face just now_

Nope. None of that was a good idea.

This shouldn't be this hard! Sure, he should have just said something by now, but it wasn't as though he hadn't been clear. There had been plenty of moments where what was between them was obvious to everyone. Anne had pretty clearly understood, and every time, she'd pulled away.

Winnie hadn't. She'd made her interest clear, and she'd happily accepted being asked out. She very obviously wanted to be with him, and honestly? It was nice.

Well, that settled it. Winifred, it was.

_Thanks. It was a good time. :)_

Gilbert took one last look at the books. He was tired; he'd read them later. He put them on the shelf, then thought the better of it and pulled the first volume to start while brushing his teeth. Almost immediately, the tension he hadn't realized was there flowed away, and he relaxed and settled in for the night, not worrying about what the next day would bring.

**Author's Note:**

> Still working on the Tempest and Tranquility sequel and not these little supplementary goodies, but just as I was getting over the head cold, I slipped and fell down some stairs at a parking structure. Didn't hit my head, but nearly broke my elbow and have a lot of bruises, so healing from that is slow going. Always take the elevator, folks!


End file.
